H. G. Wells is not quite the household name that he deserves to be, even in the households of futurists. Visions of the future in his writing and his attempts to translate these visions into reality through his work for socialism and the League of Nations are discussed. (SR)

Explains how college level teachers of geography can use works of science fiction to help students understand geographical settings and create impressionistic pictures of a given region in their minds. Particular areas in which science fiction is useful include invented terrestrial landscapes, specialized extraterrestrial landscapes, disaster…

Argues that good film and television fantasy is not a retreat from reality but a means of expanding the imagination. (FL)

Provides an overview of author Sylvia Louise Engdahl, who published six novels for young adults in the 1970s but nothing of the same kind since. Reviews her history and her philosophy, and presents a critical review of her writing. (TB)

Suggests that today's teens long for trustworthy, empathetic, and standard-setting adult leadership and hunger for new ideas. Notes that because of his unique twisting of science and fantasy and because of the variety of his subjects, Ray Bradbury catches adolescent minds. Concludes that because the students love Bradbury, they are more receptive…

Reviews the 200-year-old tradition of women science fiction authors. Discusses the benefits of teaching science fiction written by women. Describes 5 science fiction short stories and 5 science fiction novels suitable for high school students. (RS)

Adolescence is a period of feeling like an outsider. Teenagers are literally outsiders in their bodies because they are unable to stop or control the physical changes that are happening. Laurence Yep, whether writing historical and contemporary fiction, science fiction, or fantasy, has outsider as the dominant theme in his writing.

Stories and poems are the mainstay of primary education; children of all ages love them and children themselves are capable of writing very powerful material. Using poems, stories and songs in science allows children to access science from a different point of view. In this article, the author makes some suggestions and presents a list of useful…

In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stories about a group of scientists, written by two 11th-grade Earth and Life Science students (aged 17), and to semi-structured interviews, with the double purpose of diagnosing their conceptions of the nature of science (namely, as regards scientists'…

The focal image of the film "The Black Hole" functions as a visual metaphor for the sacred, order, unity, and eternal time. The black hole is a symbol that unites the antinomic pairs of conscious/unconscious, water/fire, immersion/emersion, death/rebirth, and hell/heaven. The black hole is further associated with the quest for…

The "Star Wars" trilogy is a fairy tale projected into the future which exemplifies in a clear-cut manner many of the archetypes of Jungian psychology. These films are modern retellings of ancient myths. Carl Jung has described myths as "fundamental expressions of human nature." In the films, fairy tale motifs such as typical…

Describes a science fiction course in which students learn to identify the characteristics and themes of science fiction and are required to write one science fiction story. (RB)

The purpose of this study was to establish the extent to which children's science fiction reflected adult concern with technology and its impact on human values. Two instruments were designed. The first measured thematic analysis and consisted of six theme categories. The second measured content analysis and consisted of three value categories:…

The future curricula of the humanities are discussed in relation to the inclusion of science-fiction as an appropriate subject. It is believed that the curricula of the future will have the following characteristics in common: (1) Although curricula will give due recognition to the contributions of the past, it will begin in the present and will…